A few weeks ago I arrived at Bird Arena to watch the Ohio hockey team. When I entered, the fellow at the door handed me a flier. This flier, paraphrased, asked the crowd to watch their darn mouths, being as the arena is a nice, university setting.
Now I can only assume that this note stems from various chants during the hockey games, most notably the one directly following a Bobcat goal. For those of you not familiar with this, it is a rather combative chant beginning (and you have to hum duh nuh nuh nuh first) we're going to kick the [expletive] out of you. And it goes on to offer the same bowel removing kick for the opponent's mom, dad, and boy/girlfriend. Clever, right? Well I thought so. But then I'm the one who thought that Home Alone II was the best movie of 1992.
Apparently there are those who disagree with me (not on the Home Alone II thing; everybody knows Macaulay Culkin is harsh), and it goes beyond Bird Arena. While Bird plays host to the most brutal crowds at Ohio, all fans chuckle at the old Kent read
Kent write Kent State joke. And this leaves us with quite a conundrum.
After all, if such jokes are inappropriate, then what is proper game etiquette? Shall I sit calmly in my Convo seat, passing a crumpet to my roommate while Kent State's Bryan Bedford is at the free throw line. Luxurious Justin
I'll say. That was a smashing free basket toss by the opponent
don't you agree?
Now that was slightly exaggerated - I would never call my roommate Justin - but I really have to wonder where the line is. After Ohio hockey beat Kent State this weekend, I talked to a Kent State fan who said he didn't approve of how the crowd acted, though he did admit that the sign that said Kent win was funny (get it? Kent win, it's like can't but it's Kent because they can't spell).
So perhaps signs and brutality are allowable, until they offend the opposition. Unless of course they are humorous enough that the opposition laughs, despite being trounced 19-3 on the weekend.
But then there is also the family element to look at. Certainly you wouldn't want children to hear such dirty language. Although there is a good chance, and I'm not just saying this because my father is a Browns and Indians fan, that the child is fairly used to the language of athletics already. Hell, I was 14 before I learned that Vinny Testaverde's first name wasn't Dip [expletive].
So I guess I don't have any real answer. If a child is innocent, perhaps we should take a societal stand and decide to calm down our frenzy. But it's hard for me. Ohio sports are just so attached to swearing somehow.
Maybe we should separate into sections, the swearers and the nice folks. The swearers could say what they wanted and the nice folks could talk about peace and love while The Convo blasts an Eminem song during a timeout. For now, I suppose I'll just say dung when I do the chant. You're welcome, kids.
17
Archives
Mike Cottrill
